


Care for Me

by missmamamoo



Series: Hurtin' and Bruisin' [1]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: F/M, The cats from the brith of catwoman make a guest star appearance, she is on life 2 of 9
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 16:49:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14698320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmamamoo/pseuds/missmamamoo
Summary: Selina had no one but her friend’s butler to send her off. The hospital staff had done their best. Alfred was tired and couldn't help but mourn the loss of a bright young girl who had her whole future ahead of her. After 4x22.





	Care for Me

"Is she alright, Alfred?"

Alfred stared at the young woman lying in the hospital bed. She had several monitors attached to her, all of which showed several colors and blinking lights. The doctor had mentioned that there were complications during the transfer and Selina wasn't responding well to treatment.

"Alfred, is everything alright?" insisted the young man on the other end of the line.

Bruce wasn't a little boy anymore. He was a man. A stupid man who believed a whole city was his responsibility. He was taking on criminals while hunting down Jeremiah. He was going to get himself killed and Alfred was sick of being in intensive care units. His charge's worried voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"She's going to be angry that you didn't keep your promise, mate," he sighed.

"She hasn't woken up yet?" Alfred could hear the frown in Bruce's voice.

"The Doc is worried that she is starting to get symptoms of a complication that comes with spinal injury. Something about the level of the injury is messing with her body. Her pressure keeps skyrocketing and her heart rate is dropping. They said they are trying to keep everything under control with medication. We actually had to get transferred back to ICU about 40 minutes ago. There was a small scare, but she held on."

He heard static on the other end. Bruce meekly asked, "Is she going to be ok?"

He took another look at the young lady who was in a drug-induced slumber. "I don't know, Bruce. She isn't responding to the medication properly – "

The beeping from the monitors caught his attention. Her blood pressure climbed up to the 180s again. The butler swore and began to wave at the nurse.

"Bloody hell, Bruce, I'm going to have to let you go." The nurses ran in with the crash cart and Alfred was ushered out of the glass room. The monitors were screeching erratically.

"Is she alright?! What's going on?" Alfred felt everything slow down, just like it had when he received the call about the Waynes. He heard her room being called on the intercom. More people crawled into the ICU. A doctor was shouting orders while nurses swirled around the room in a frenzy, trying to attach Selina to other devices.

"I'll call you back once everything calms down. She's probably just having another episode. I'll call you later, alright? Just keep your phone on you," he said, quickly snapping the phone shut. She was a tough girl; a simple bullet couldn't kill her. She had already experienced 2 episodes of high blood pressure since they had gotten to the medical facility and she survived them just fine. It's just protocol. The staff is well trained.

That's when he heard it.

"We're losing her!" A doctor called out.

"She's going to stroke out if we keep it up," barked a nurse. "Her pressure is going through the roof and she's not responding to any of the medication."

Then he heard the flat line.

Alfred swore viciously as tears welled up in his eyes. He had watched her grow up. She made bad decisions out of survival, yet, she still seemed so innocent in some aspects. She was still a kid to him. She never had the chance to outgrow her rebellion and get off of the streets. His chest tightened with the realization that he would have to break the news to Bruce.

The first time Bruce smiled genuinely since his parent's death was thanks to Selina. She was irreplaceable, something Bruce had confessed to him late one night. No girl ever measured up to her. They had an understanding, he had told Alfred. They knew each other's every move, fears, and weaknesses. She hated his war on crime, but she also knew what it meant for him. Selina had told him that she just didn't want Bruce to get himself killed.

He remembered yelling at Bruce. making him choose between her or the mission.

Tears started rolling down his face because his young charge had made his decision. And Selina had no one but her friend's butler to send her off. He held on to the counter of the nurse's station watching everything unfold in the room. They tried. The hospital staff had done their best. The nurses were taking turns doing Selina's compressions. The doctor kept looking at the monitors, trying to find some signs of life. He finally shook his head.

"Alright, what's the time of death."

A lead ball fell into Alfred's stomach. It was all so surreal.

"2353, sir."

The doctor nodded, "And where is the family member, have they already been contacted?"

Every head in the room slowly turned to him, the eerie silence eating at the very fringes of his brain. The staff slowly leaked out of the room gathering their devices and machines. The doctor took him aside to speak with him, once more explaining her condition. The spinal injury put her body into overdrive. All of it was legal jargon, it was necessary to cover the medical staff's asses. Thomas once told him that he hated doing it because he knew no one could process that information during the grieving period. Dr. Thomas Wayne was right. Alfred had just numbly nodded along not really hearing anything.

"You are free to stay with the body as long as you deem necessary; just tell the nurse when you are ready to send it to the morgue. She will hand you the paperwork for transferring the body back to your city," said the young doctor, placing his hand on Alfred's shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Alfred stumbled into the room. Most of the lines were no longer attached to her. They had cleaned her up. He noticed that the gown was changed and her hair was swept back from her face. He sat down in his chair and stared at his phone, wondering what to tell Bruce.

He took a deep breath. They had done a good job cleaning her up, the sweat was gone, but so was the color from her face. Her relaxed face seemed so unnatural. He remembered that even when she slept, Selina had a scowl decorating her face.

"I'm sorry," he said staring at his phone. "I'm sorry your life ended like this and that I didn't teach Bruce to keep his promises." He felt tears constrict his throat as he tried to swallow. "You didn't deserve to have a mother like Maria. You didn't deserve to live on the streets. I'm sorry for all our misunderstandings. You were Bruce's only friend and he loved you dearly."

A sob escaped his mouth as he pressed his face into his hands, "I'm so sorry, Selina."

He sat there mourning her. He heard some shrieks and he looked outside. A cat. How peculiar. He slid open the glass door and the cat casually walked in. After a minute or so, another cat strolled right into the room.

Alfred stared at the cats as they jumped onto the bed and curled up next to Selina. More and more cats seem to walk into the hospital like they were supposed to be there. Briefly, Alfred wondered about the hospital's security; yet, he noticed they all came to mourn her, their cries echoing in the ICU. The nurses were pulling out phones trying to take pictures of the peculiar display. Security ran into the room, demanding answers from Alfred.

"Mate, I don't know what's going on either. These cats just walked in. Shouldn't you check the first floor to see how they managed to get themselves up to the fourth floor?"

The large security guard tried to approach the body and the cats hissed in unison. Alfred noticed her body could not be seen due to the amount of cats that had made theri way to her bed.

He then saw it. A hand, sticking out from the bed. Alfred rubbed the sleep out of his eye. He was in utter disbelief because he was pretty sure he saw it moving.

The security guard made a move towards the body again and Alfred raised his hands to stop him.

"Just wait for a second," he said frantically. He watched them walk around, yowling in a crescendo. He felt hypnotized by the display.

"Are you out of your mind? This is an ICU, not a pet shelter. People here need rest and these cats are a hazard to other patients," the security man yelled. He grabbed his talkie while eyeing up Alfred. "I need back up we have a code white in room 427. Bring some nets while you're at it and call animal control."

"Oh no, you don't! You let the blasted cats in, not me. Just give them a moment, they'll leave on their own," Alfred said standing between the guard and Selina. He swore her hand was moving, he knows what he saw. Maybe her love for the creatures with nine lives was being repaid. Somebody out there was watching over her.

"What makes you – "

The first cat got off the bed and made a leisure stroll between the guard's legs and out of the room. Once again they started to leave just as they came, one by one.

The tall security guard's jaw dropped. They all stared in silence as the cats made their leave. Alfred was scared to look over at Selina. At first glance, everything seemed intact. He walked towards her and gently shook her shoulders.

"Selina?" he said quietly, hoping for a reaction.

Her hand remained motionless at the side of the bed. It must have been his mind playing tricks on him. His shoulders drooped as he felt her loss settle in his heart again. Then he heard it. A sharp inhale.

His eyes shot up. He reached his hand up and placed in on her carotids. His stomach did a summersault; there was a pulse. A strong one. He saw her nose flare with each breath she took and color started blooming in her cheeks again. He blessed that scowl that reappeared on her face.

"Nurse!" Alfred yelled out. A crowd began to gather outside of the glass room. The security guard wiped sweat from his face as he noticed the do not disturb sign on the door. He looked back at the nurses rushing in to help the girl.

"She was dead?" the security guard asked with his eyes wide.

Alfred ignored the guard and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. "Selina, stay with us. I will allow you to beat Bruce like a piñata the next time you see him. Just stay with us."

A doctor rushed into the room, looking frazzled and confused. He grabbed his stethoscope and placed it on her chest. He frowned and placed it on her abdomen. He began to grab wires, placing the devices in their respected places. He stood there, gaping as her vital signs showed up on the screens.

"Her pressure is normal," he said in awe. "Everything sounds great."

He lifted up her sheets and inspected her feet. He grabbed a rubber hammer and tested her reflexes. "Sweet Jesus, she was gone for over 20 minutes and her reflexes are back. Is she flinching?"

Alfred saw Selina frown. "She is making faces."

"Merciful mother." He called out to the crowd of medical staff whispering outside of the room, "I need an EEG Stat. Can we also get a CT and an MRI once we settle brain activity? Can somebody call lab? I need to see how her organs doing."

Alfred was forced to step out as more machines were brought in to attached to his friend. Each person leaving puzzled after being told the story of the mysterious girl with the worshipping cats.

After hours and several ignored calls from Bruce later. Selina, to the shock of the entire medical facility, was fine. She was better than fine, everything was working perfectly. Her spinal injury was gone according to both the MRI and the CT. The only remaining issue was that she was unconcious, but according to the EEG, her brain was alive and kicking.

Alfred did his best to stay alert, waiting for her to wake up. He ocassionally spoke to her, something the nurses had encouraged him to do. They explained she could probably hear everything. There was a chance she could remember what he told her and, also, stimulation was what she needed in order to wake up. As soon as the sun rose, his eyes began to get heavy. He felt himself slip away only to be awoken by someone poking his face.

"Hey, is that why Bruce's security sucks?" the voice croaked. "The guy on duty is usually asleep?"

Alfred's eyes flew open. There sat Selina, her wild mane being highlighted by the evening sun.

He watched her as she looked around the room, blushing. "Did Bruce get us some VIP room? I mean, look at all these machines; don't you think it's a bit excessive? I can barely sleep because they make weird noises when I bend my arm." She went on to demonstrate the machines temper tantrum by bending her arm. Alfred sat in awe of her babbling.

"Also," she winced, not noticing his reaction. "I've been terrified of the nurses so I keep playing possum when they come in. Could you go get me ice? I feel like an elephant sat on my chest. I remember getting shot not beaten. What happened?" she said as she toyed with the wires attached to her body.

Alfred just sat there absorbing her presences. He reached out and touched her arm. Out of surprise, they both jerked away.

"Are you ok?" she asked miffed.

"Selina," he started. "You died. You're sore from chest compression when your heart stopped."

"What?" she said in disbelief.

"You died. Your heart stopped. You were declared dead."

Her eyes lost focused. "That wasn't a dream?" she murmured.

"No. You died. I was there. I mourned you. Then the cats came…" as the words left Alfred's mouth, he was positive she wouldn't believe him. It sounded ridiculous even to him.

Selina's eyes widened. She swallowed and nodded. "My injuries are gone, right?"

Alfred frowned. "Yes… has this happened before?"

"Don't freak out," she said looking around the hospital room.

"I doubt I will, Miss Kyle, I think if I could handle the cats worshiping you in the middle of this ICU, I can handle whatever you are about to tell me."

"You remember Five?" she said in a hushed tone.

He frowned. "The clone?"

"Yes," Selina looked down and picked at her sheets. "He threw me off of a four-story window. I had this dream that I was surrounded by cats. They told me they chose me. Next thing I knew I woke up in a hospital bed with Ivy at the bedside. I thought it was just a weird dream."

"You must have died then. When you told me he pushed you out of a window I thought you were lying."

"No, that freak actually killed me," Selina said waving her hands around frantically. "Did I really just die and cats came or are you just making this up. It doesn't feel like I died."

"No, I assure you, it's very real. They came and covered you with their bodies," he said incredulously. "It was nothing like I've ever seen before."

Selina gave him a relieved grin. "It freaked you guys out, huh?"

"Not as much as you dying did," he scoffed. He reached out to hold her hand. "Thank you for coming back."

Selina smiled softly and flicked at his hand. "Well, at least I know someone will mourn me if I died. Here I thought I was just gutter trash to you."

He saw her smile falter as she inspected the room once more.

"You've been awake for a while?" Alfred asked checking his phone. He forgot to call Bruce back. Over a hundred missed calls. Bruce was going to kill him. That or Bruce was already dead. He felt numb from the rollercoaster of emotions he had experienced over the past 72 hours.

"I've been awake long enough," she said with a sad smile.

Alfred got up and sat on the side of Selina's bed, knowing what was coming.

"He didn't keep his promise did he?" she said in a small voice. She is still just a kid, he told himself. They are still just kids.

He sighed wearily, raking his hands through his hair. "No. He didn't. He sent me to accompany you so he knew how you were doing."

From his peripherals, he saw her nodding slowly taking in the information. "What happened to Gotham?"

"Jeremiah blew up bridges in order to cut off Gotham from the rest of the world. It's absolute chaos. Criminals are trying to carve up the city for territory as we speak."

Selina nodded slowly. "He stayed back to help."

"Yes," he paused. "You know him."

He saw the tears well up in her eyes. "I'll take you up on your offer."

"Excuse me," Alfred said frowning.

"If he survives, I get to beat him like a piñata for leaving me, and you can't stop me."

Alfred sat there, shocked that she had heard him. He felt the corners of his mouth twitch.

"I stand by my offer. You did come back."

"The minute I'm out of this hospital I will pop a cap in Jeremiah," she continued, rage flushing her face. "That's a promise. Alfred, we are in this mess because of him. I get trying to do the right thing, but that self-righteousness is only going to get more people killed. This is war. Bruce better end things quickly before I get to Gotham and do it myself."

Alfred finally gave in, giving her a tired smile and ruffling her hair. "I will be sure to relay the message, Miss Kyle."

He stood up and waved the nurse down. "We should probably get you checked since you're finally awake. I'll give Master B a call and let him know how you are doing. Is there anything you need, Miss Kyle?"

Her stomach growled. "Food would be nice."

"I'll talk to your doctor to make sure you can eat."

* * *

To Alfred's shock, Bruce wasn't dead and he was thrilled to hear that Selina was not only doing better but her spinal injury was fully healed. Bruce was flabbergasted at Alfred's story about the cats. Alfred teased him, telling him to feed strays as a backup plan in case he died.

"Alfred, I need you to stay with her until Gotham is reopened to the world. She is in no condition to come back. Jeremiah is still out there and will stop at nothing to hurt me. I don't want her in the line of fire," Bruce said fiercely.

Alfred walked back to the room nodding along to Bruce's orders. He peered into the room and dropped the food he had bought for Selina on the bedside table.

"Well, Master B, as you know, you can't really tell Selina what to do."

"Well, it's not like she can come back to Gotham, the city has been shut down," Bruce huffed.

"If there's a will, then there's a way. It seems I will be heading back to Gotham tonight."

"Alfred, I just told you –"

"She's gone mate," he snorted, as he opened the closet finding her clothes missing. The lines were tossed about the room. "Selina sent me to go grab food and took a head start. Now, I'm going to warn you, she did mention beating you like a piñata for not keeping your promise, so you better start praying that I get to you first before she does."

He sighed, remembering her final statement. "She may have mentioned finding Jeremiah but at this rate, she has a higher chance of survival than you. So good luck."

He heard Bruce groan in frustration. "She's gonna kill me."

Alfred laughed for the first time in weeks. "Hell hath no fury, Master B."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so shitty at endings and this is un-beta'd. I just couldn't deal with the whole paralysis thing, so, I killed her off to heal her because fuck the Gotham writers. My girl is Catwoman and she is flying back to Gotham to kick Bruce Wayne's ass. The end.


End file.
